Chapter 17: The Price of Pride
When the results of the essay competition came out, it was just in time for the upcoming final exams next week.
Xiang Yang was very happy to hear that she had won a third prize in the competition.
It was her first time participating, and to achieve such a ranking, she was already satisfied. She thought to herself that she was only in the first year of middle school, and everything could come gradually.
When Hou Xingrou congratulated her, she said, “I heard that all three of you did well this time. Fu Guanxian seems to have won a first prize, and the eighth-grade student also seems to have received a second prize.”
Three students participated and received three different rankings, which was quite commendable. The principal and the homeroom teacher praised them enthusiastically.
Xiang Yang was very happy, and after a few joyful days, the final exams arrived. She had already reviewed for two weeks in advance, so when the exams were over, Xiang Yang felt pretty good about herself.
Hou Xingrou talked to her about the math exam, “What did you fill in for the last question on the math paper? What kind of triangle was it?”
Xiang Yang instinctively replied, “Isn't it a right triangle?”
Hou Xingrou didn't understand, “It only provided the lengths of the three sides. How did you conclude it was a right triangle?”
“Using the Pythagorean theorem, the sum of the squares of the two legs a and b equals the square of the hypotenuse c.”
Hou Xingrou looked at her in surprise, “When did we learn this?”
Xiang Yang was also surprised, “Didn’t we learn it? Why do I remember it so clearly? We must have learned it!”
Hou Xingrou shook her head firmly, “We haven't learned it this semester!”
Xiang Yang couldn't recall clearly.
A classmate in front of them, having overheard their discussion, turned around and said, “We really haven't learned it this semester. Some students asked the math teacher, and she confirmed it was a right triangle, but that question seems to be from the second year's syllabus. Our exam paper exceeded the syllabus. Xiang Yang, you didn't finish learning the second-year math, did you?”
Xiang Yang hurriedly waved her hands, “No, no, no! I might have seen it somewhere last time; it's quite simple, so I remembered it.”
After saying this, Xiang Yang fell silent. The reason she knew the second-year knowledge was thanks to Fu Guanxian.
The homework he assigned her had indirectly helped her learn ahead of time.
Xiang Yang thought about it and couldn't help but smile. Why thank him? He had bullied her in many ways!
*****
Finally, the rare winter vacation had arrived. Due to the frigid weather, Xiang Yang found herself almost lethargic to venture outdoors. Thus, when Fu Guanxian extended an invitation for a global tour, Xiang Yang was initially hesitant to accept.
She politely said, “It's so cold; I'm not going.”
“It's cold, so just wear more! Are you afraid of freezing to death?”
Xiang Yang bundled herself up like a dumpling in winter, so she nodded seriously, “I really am afraid of freezing to death.”
Fu Guanxian looked at her with annoyance, “Xiang Yang, can you be a bit more ambitious?”
Xiang Yang lowered her head, not daring to respond.
She really was that unambitious!
In the end, Fu Guanxian glared at her resentfully and left in a huff.
After learning that Fu Guanxian would be away on a journey and would not return until two days before the Spring Festival, Xiang Yang felt a sense of relief. She indulged in activities such as singing, playing the piano, mastering the art of dance, engaging in scholarly pursuits, delving into literary works, and immersing herself in cinematic experiences. Each day was filled with gratification and contentment.
During the New Year festivities, she visited the Fu family's residence for lunch on the second day of the year, accompanied by her parents. Given the presence of numerous esteemed elders and Xiang Yang's lingering in the living area, interactions with Fu Guanxian were limited.
However, during the meal, Fu Guanxian's grandparents inquired about his performance in the final examinations. With an air of pride, Fu Guanxian proclaimed, “Grandfather, Grandmother, rest assured, your grandson's intellect shines brightly! Who could possibly outscore me?”
“Be careful not to get too proud and fall flat on your face!” Grandma Fu laughed.
“Grandma, are you joking?”
Grandma Fu gazed at him with a mixture of helplessness and affection, turning to Xiang Yang with a gentle inquiry, “Xiang Yang, as you embark on this new chapter of your middle school journey, how are you adjusting to it?”
Xiang Yang smiled and said, “Grandma, I'm used to it now.”
“Are you doing well in your studies? Don't put too much pressure on yourself; just do your best and prioritize your well being.”
“Okay, Grandma, I will.” Xiang Yang smiled sweetly.
Fu Guanxian, upon witnessing this scene, ceased the act of peeling shrimp and inquired discontentedly, “Grandmother, why is it that you have omitted advising me against exerting excessive pressure on myself? Am I not your grandson; do my welfare and concerns not hold significance to you?”
“Where did Grandma not care about you? Besides, you're always so carefree. Look at you; during the entire winter vacation, how many times did your grandpa and I see you? On the other hand, Xiang Yang comes by to chat with us from time to time. Compare yourselves!”
Upon hearing this, Fu Guanxian looked meaningfully at Xiang Yang and elongated his words, “Oh, while I'm not home, you often come to see my grandparents. I really appreciate it!”
“Fu Guanxian, speak properly.” Kong Yiyue admonished.
Seeing Xiang Yang with her head down eating, Fu Guanxian withdrew his gaze, feeling a bit disgruntled.
To test things out, after the Spring Festival, Fu Guanxian barely went out except for meeting Lian Rui and a few boys. As he expected, until school started, Xiang Yang didn't even step over his doorstep.
Haha, it turns out she only liked visiting his house when he wasn't home!
As the vacation came to a close, a new academic term commenced, heralding a fresh beginning.
*****
Xiang Yang felt that her days without Fu Guanxian causing trouble were still fulfilling and comfortable. Classes, breaks, going home after school, doing homework, day by day, this cycle continued.
What surprised Xiang Yang was that after two months of school, Fu Guanxian somehow got into a fight with a few boys in her class. The incident escalated a bit; she heard that Fu Guanxian had fought off five boys from their class all by himself.
This happened after school, and Xiang Yang only found out about it the next morning.
Hou Xingrou told her about it but didn't know the specific cause or process. She said, “I heard this morning that Fu Guanxian got into a fight with Zhang Peng and a few others.”
Xiang Yang remembered Zhang Peng clearly as he was present the day she cried after being criticized by the teacher for having her phone.
Xiang Yang couldn't understand why Zhang Peng knew she had brought her phone and why he dragged her into it.
Xiang Yang asked Hou Xingrou, “Did anyone get hurt?”
“Seems like no one else is seriously injured, but I heard Zhang Peng got hit pretty hard by Fu Guanxian.”
Xiang Yang knew that Fu Guanxian had a habit of working out; their house had a large gym, and he could spend half a day there on weekends. His punches were probably quite strong.
Xiang Yang asked, “What about Fu Guanxian? Is he hurt?”
“I don't know about that; he should be fine. I heard that our homeroom teacher and their homeroom teacher dealt with it together, and Fu Guanxian was still full of himself, making their teacher furious because he ended up hitting so many people, so he was at fault no matter how you looked at it.”
Xiang Yang didn't think so, “Maybe Zhang Peng and the others provoked him first.” She remembered they had previously had a conflict with Fu Guanxian over territory issues on the basketball court. Although Fu Guanxian was impulsive, Xiang Yang always felt he wouldn't just hit Zhang Peng and the others for no reason.
Unable to dig up more information and not wanting to ask other classmates too openly, she didn't expect to run into Lian Rui during lunch in the cafeteria.
Lian Rui was alone.
Xiang Yang was planning to help Hou Xingrou bring back a meal because she wasn't feeling well.
As Lian Rui looked for a seat with his meal, he noticed Xiang Yang sitting alone in the corner, and a smile immediately appeared on his face as he walked in her direction.
When Xiang Yang noticed a boy sitting across from her, she didn't want to be curious, but he seemed to be looking at her, and he even called out, “Guanxian's childhood sweetheart, hello!”
Hearing this for the first time, Xiang Yang frowned and looked up to see him, involuntarily smiling awkwardly.
She remembered he seemed to be a classmate who was good friends with Fu Guanxian.
“Guanxian's childhood sweetheart, do you often eat in the school cafeteria?”
When Fu Guanxian came to class, Lian Rui would usually go out with him to enjoy various delicacies. Today, since Fu Guanxian didnt' come to class, he had to come to the cafeteria alone.
Xiang Yang did not want to answer his question but felt she had to clarify, “My name is Xiang Yang, not Guanxian's childhood sweetheart.”
“Oh! Right! Look at my memory; your relationship with Guanxian can't be made public, right? You can't let outsiders know!”
Xiang Yang furrowed her brows deeper, “That sounds a bit strange.”
“Haha, not strange, not strange. Since you both want to keep it a secret and I promised Guanxian to keep it confidential, I won't call you that anymore. I'll call you Xiang Yang.”
Xiang Yang looked at him and then lowered her head to eat.
Lian Rui then said, “I wonder how Guanxian is doing at home today?”
Xiang Yang was surprised, “He didn't come to school today?”
Lian Rui nodded, “Yeah!”
“Why?”
“Isn't it because of what happened yesterday evening? Those guys were disrespectful, and Guanxian just wanted to teach them a lesson. They felt justified, and a few of them ganged up to beat him. Guanxian wouldn't let us intervene and fought them off by himself! In the end, I don't know who was so gossipy that they told your homeroom teacher, and Guanxian ended up in trouble.”
“What was the reason for the fight?” Xiang Yang frowned and asked.
“What reason? Your boys in the class are really shameless; the next time we see them, we're definitely going to fight back! You don't know, they even said something about you…” Lian Rui suddenly covered his mouth mid-sentence, shaking his head, “I said something I shouldn't have; just pretend you didn't hear anything!”
“What did they say about me?” Xiang Yang looked at him thoughtfully.
“Nothing; we promised Fu Guanxian to keep it a secret. You have to keep your word.”
Xiang Yang asked twice, but Lian Rui still wouldn't speak. In the end, she had to ask, “Then why didn't he come to school today?”
“The homeroom teacher was furious and sent him home to reflect on his actions, to think it over and write a reflection letter. He can only come back to school after his parents sign it.” Lian Rui said while eating, “What kind of person is Guanxian? He's so proud! He packed his bag and left without looking back.”
After hearing this, Xiang Yang couldn't help but feel deeply worried. How could they resolve this?
Lian Rui thought for a moment and was still quite angry, “Those boys in your class are really shameless; they ganged up on Guanxian, and when they got to the office, they first complained about him, saying they were injured and trying to play the victim. It felt like they were dragging Guanxian down with them!”
Xiang Yang couldn't help but exhale deeply; what kind of situation was this!
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